Literature Lived
by strangled voice
Summary: a future fic...While Rory and Jess are living (sort of) separately in New Haven their world as friends is about to get a reality check...
1. who would have guessed that superman cam...

Title:  Literature Lived

Author's incessant ramblings:  Yay.  My first story.  My current and hopeful plan is to stick to one story until I can finish it, but I doubt it will work out that way.  I'm going to update this as often as possible, but I can't promise anything.  It'll just depend on when I'm in the writing mood.  Wish me luck…

Disclaimer:  I'm going to pull a Paris and cut straight to the point—I do not own "Gilmore Girls."  I do not like Green Eggs and Ham either.  I do not like them in a box.  I do not like them with a fox.  I do not like Green Eggs and Ham.  I do not like them, Sam I Am.  (I don't own Dr. Seuss either.  That would be cool, though.)

*~*

Rory flopped down on an oversized, orange couch and picked up the issue of SEVENTEEN sitting in front of her.  A look of disgust crossed her face.  "Sarah?  How can you read this crap?" she asked the small, athletic looking blonde sitting beside her.

            The girl took a sip from a large water bottle before replying.  "They have good, cheap dorm design tips."

            "You're one of those people who watched 'Trading Spaces' in high school, aren't you?"

            "Only because of Ty."

            "Ahh."  Rory glanced down at the magazine and sighed before turning back to her friend, who was taking another sip of water.  "Whatcha doing?" she asked.

            "Hydrating.  And you?"

            Rory took a sip out of the large cup of coffee she had been holding and slowly let the java goodness absorb into the very essence of her pores.  "Caffeinating," she replied with a smile.

            The blonde stole the magazine back from Rory and was soon absorbed in an article about 'reading your man's body language.'

            "Oy with the poodles already," Rory mumbled before digging a copy of Bless Me, Ultima out of her backpack.

*~*

            Kirk Gleason glared into his coffee mug while muttering under his breath.  "No, Kirk, you can't have a car, Kirk, they're dangerous, Kirk," he mocked and Lorelai Gilmore sitting on the stool beside him, sent a sympathetic glance his way.

            "Poor guy," she whispered to Luke when he walked over with the pot of Caffeinated coffee.  "His mom still won't let him have his own set of wheels."

            Luke glanced at Kirk, back at Lorelai, and then at Kirk again.  "For God's sake, Man, you're 36 years old.  Move out of your mother's house!"  Kirk looked up at Luke, somewhat startled.  No one had ever put it that way before.

            Jumping off his stool with newfound confidence, Kirk's mind began to spin with brilliant, new, exciting ideas.  "Thank you, Luke, I think I will."  Running out of the diner Kirk stumbled while attempting the Dick Van Dyke heel-click-jump.

            "Did Kirk just say he was going to move out of his mother's house?" Lorelai asked in disbelief.

            "Did Kirk just leave without first annoying the hell out of me?" Luke asked in disbelief.

*~*

            Rory sighed when she saw the rubber band on the doorknob of her dorm room.  Turning to leave the building she pulled out her cell phone and dialed the familiar number.

            "Hello?" her best friend's voice rang out of the phone's tiny earpiece.

            "Hey, Jess.  It's me."

            "Hey Ror."

            "Listen.  Can I crash on your couch tonight?  I've been kicked out of my room again."

            "Sock on the doorknob?"

            "Nope.  A silver sparkly hair scrunchi."

            "Ahh…so this sleep over thing."

            "Yeah?"

            "Please tell me it won't involve us staying up until the wee hours of the morning doing each others nails and giggling over the cute boy in your math class."

            "Nope.  Too much studying to do.  So the wee hours of the morning thing might take place, but…"

            "What are you studying for?"

            "I have a lit test tomorrow afternoon."

  
            "_The Glass Menagerie_.  We have to explore the hidden significance of Laura's collection and Tennessee Williams' obsession with rainbows."

            "Bet the notes I left in the margins of your copy came in handy."

            "Do you ever wonder whether not everything is symbolic of something else?  I mean, maybe _Glass Menagerie_ was just about a guy with neurotic family members.  Maybe Robert Frost really did stop by woods on a snowy evening with miles to go before he'd be home.  Maybe Orwell was actually writing about a bunch of pigs and dogs and such that could talk and run a farm."

            "Uh…Ror?"

            "Yeah?"

            "How much coffee have you had today?"

            "Not much.  Why?"

            "Well.  That was three Ventis worth a rant."

            "Sorry.  Its just end of semester stress.  Too much symbolism, not enough sleep."

            "Oh, the trials and tribulations of being an English major."

             "Yes…there are so many."

            "Sarah causing you trouble?"

            "I swear I haven't used my own bed in over a month.  Ooh, hey, buzz me in.  I'm at the front door."  A soft bzzzzzz came from the door Rory now stood in front of and the brunette began her almost daily climb of the five stories and a stoop up to Jess' apartment.  "You know, every time I come here I'm reminded of _Barefoot in the Park_."

            "Is it the five stories and a stoop thing?" Jess asked.

            "Probably.  Oh.  You're cooking Spaghetti.  YAY!"

            "How many floors away are you?"

            "Three down.  Why?"

            "Shit!  If you can smell my cooking from 3 stories down then you can smell my cooking from 2 stories down.  Mr. Yunioshi is going to kill me!"

            "Okay, see, now you're reminding me of Breakfast at Tiffany's."

            "Yeah, well, this apartment building is kinda like a compilation of every great book you've read, song you've heard, and play you've seen."

            "And that's why you love it so much."

            "And that's why I love it so much."

            "Open the door please."  Jess pulled open his heavy door to find his friend, hair flying everywhere, smiling at him.  You always know how to cheer me up, Jess," she said as she hit the end call button on her cell phone.

            "Yeah…well."  He too, hung up his phone before enveloping Rory in a huge hug.  "You know if you're so sick of getting kicked out of your room then why not just move in with me."

            "You know, one of these days I'm going to say yes when you ask me that."

            "I'm counting on it."  The two shared a smile.

            "I got an interesting phone call from my mom today."

            "Oh yeah?  What'd she say?"

            "Well.  In between the ramblings about Luke and more ramblings about Luke I managed to pull out one sensicle and yet nonsensical thing."

            "Which was?"

            "Kirk is moving out of his mother's house."

            "Huh."

            "Oh no!"

            "What?"

            "He's back."

            "Who?"

            "Monosyllabic Jess!"

            "Oh please!"

            "Wow.  2 syllables.  I feel special."

            "You express one thought in a less than complete sentence and look what you get."

            "Oh.  I'm sorry Jess…really, I am."  Rory pulled Jess into a hug.  They played this game often.  Rory saying something insulting…Jess faking hurt…Rory apologizing with a hug.  It was all part of the routine.  Rory looked up into Jess' face and before she knew what was happening they were liplocked.

            5 minutes later they pulled apart.  Both were breathing hard.

            "Okay.  That's been happening **WAY** to often!" Rory exclaimed looked at Jess.

            "Yes.  Yes it has.  We should stop."

            30 seconds later it would have taken Superman and a few really strong crowbars to pry their lips apart.

*~*

word count: 1,118


	2. Prep Jess!

A/N: I appreciate all the reviews you guys have thrown my way. I've written a lot for this story, but I'm writing out a hard copy first, and while I (think) I'm a fast typer, it may take a while to get everything up.  
  
Disc.: Chapter 1  
  
Literature Lived: PREP JESS!  
  
*Bring.*  
  
"Hang on!"  
  
*Bring.*  
  
"Hold it!"  
  
*Bring.*  
  
Lorelai finally found the phone in a pile of clothes she had forgotten she owned. "Hello?" she asked, completely out of breath.  
  
"You know, Lorelai, you should really invest in a tracking device for your phone. You can never find it when the call is important."  
  
"I can never find it, period, Mom, and how do you know I wasn't practicing tapdancing in the basement when I heard the phone ring and I had to run all the way up to my bedroom to answer it?"  
  
"Lorelai."  
  
"What, Mom? It could happen. It's not like I'm staging a protest against all forms of self expression."  
  
"Lorelai!"  
  
"I mean, I took ballet as a child. And figure skating a little after that. Gymnastics my freshman year of high school. Who's to say tap doesn't come next?"  
  
"LORLAI!"  
  
"Yes, Mom?" Lorelai made a face at the air in from of her.  
  
"It's about time. Well, as I was saying. A woman named Rebecca DuGray interrupted my DAR meeting last Tuesday. I believe Rory went to school with her son, Tristin?"  
  
"Ah, yes, Bible Boy."  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"Nothing, Mom. So Rebecca DuGray interrupted your DAR meeting, and.?"  
  
"Well, she's looking for a place to have a family reunion and wanted to know if anyone know of a nice place to have one. Now I know you and Sookie are always looking for more business, so I recommended that charming little inn of yours."  
  
"Uh, thanks Mom."  
  
"She said she would be sure to give you a call sometime this week."  
  
"That's great, Mom. I'll keep an eye out for her call."  
  
"Wonderful! Now Lorelai?"  
  
"Yes, Mom?"  
  
"Rory told me that she would be coming home for your birthday next weekend and I wanted to ask you if you'd mind bringing her with you to dinner on Friday."  
  
"Well, I don't know. She's only getting in at 5:30, and she's bringing Jess with her-"  
  
"Well bring him, too. You're bringing that boyfriend of yours, Luke, it would only make sense for you to bring his nephew."  
  
"But-"  
  
"Nonsense, Lorelai, they're coming. I'll expect you at seven. Good- bye."  
  
"Bye, Mom," Lorelai said with a groan. She hit the off button and immediately pressed 'talk' again. Dialing speed dial 1 she anxiously tucked her hair behind her ear while she waited for the familiar voice to pick up.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Prep Jess!"  
  
"What? Mom?"  
  
"Prep Jess!"  
  
"Hi, Mom, how are you, Mom? I'm fine, Mom. Thanks for asking, Mom."  
  
"Hi Rory. I'm fine, Rory. How are you, Rory? Prep Jess!"  
  
"Thank you, now what do you mean, 'prep Jess'?"  
  
"He's coming to dinner with us on Friday night."  
  
"What? Are you crazy?"  
  
"No, but your grandmother is."  
  
"God. Why? She probably just wants to beat up on him for the accident because she never got a chance to while we were still in highschool."  
  
"Yes. She probably does. Just make sure he's ready. Give him flashcards with answers to your grandfather's questions."  
  
"I doubt he's going to grill Jess."  
  
"Really? Cause he grilled your last boyfriend."  
  
"Jess isn't my boyfriend!"  
  
"No, he's not, but he was your boyfriend, and my father has this thing about dwelling in the past."  
  
"Okay, right. Well, I'll have to make sure he's ready."  
  
"Do that. Love ya, Babe."  
  
"Love you, too."  
  
"Bye."  
  
"Bye."  
  
Rory hung up and sighed. 'Great,' she thought, 'just what I need.'  
  
~  
  
Lorelai stormed into the diner and plopped down on the stool closest to the register. "Luke! Coffee!" she called into the cavernous expanse of the storage room.  
  
"No!" came the curt reply.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because you're in a mood, and when you're in a mood the last thing I'd give you is coffee."  
  
"But, but."  
  
"Lorelai."  
  
"Luke." she whined.  
  
"Fine." He poured her a large mug of coffee and she practically inhaled it.  
  
"More please!" she said as she set the mug down.  
  
"No. It's unhealthy."  
  
"What? The coffee or my obsession with coffee?"  
  
"Both!"  
  
"Luke!"  
  
"No!"  
  
Lorelai sat and stewed for a few minutes muttering 'big grump' every now and then. Eventually Luke returned with the pot.  
  
"Fine, here you go," Luke said with a grunt. "Now what's wrong?"  
  
"Mom is making Rory and Jess come with us on Friday night."  
  
"Ooh.that's not good."  
  
"No, it most certainly isn't. I tried to get them out of it, but."  
  
"To no avail?"  
  
"To no avail."  
  
"Poor Jess."  
  
"Did I ever tell you about the time we took Dean with us? They hated him, imagine how they'll feel about your nephew whom they already hate."  
  
"Why do they hate Jess?"  
  
"Because of the accident."  
  
"That was three years ago."  
  
"I told Rory and I"m telling you, my father likes to dwell in the past. It's how he was raised."  
  
"Maybe we should take a couple of asprin with us."  
  
"Maybe we should take a couple of sledgehammers with us."  
  
~  
  
Word count: 821  
  
-Elizabeth 


End file.
